You're Correct!

Tee shots are one of the most important aspects to any golf hole. Many players and pundits alike discuss how the lowest amount of putts wins tournaments, but few golfers benefit from one putting if you cannot hit the green in regulation or a maximum over one over regulation due to a poor drive.

Hitting a poor drive off to the right or left of the fairway is one thing but missing the fairway due to a skyed shot can often be embarrassing and disheartening and lead to a poor score on that hole.

A skyed shot is when the ball hits the very top edge of the drivers face, almost allowing the driver head to slide straight under the ball. This creates an awful lot of back spin and height. The ball then travels further into the air than it does towards the target.

The skyed shot can be created by all three types of swing paths:

• In to out
• Out to in
• Straight

From here, it depends on the balls position in your stance, your weight transference and club head speed to determine how high the ball will go. The most common swing path amongst amateur golfers is the out to in path, and the most common mistake in ball positioning is having it placed too far back in the stance away from the front foot. These two elements create a steepened angle of attack into the ball causing the club face to virtually point to the ground at impact, leaving only the top of the club head to hit the ball high into the sky.

For a quick fix, the ball needs to be placed further forward so the ball is struck later in the swing to allow the club face to square up to the target. Work on improving the clubs swing path into the ball and push the ball position further forward to encourage an in to out path, with the ball being struck on the up swing to the follow through.

Skying a driver is the result of a poor swing path approaching the ball from out to in because the club is still on its downward path leaving only the top edge to hit the ball. A lower tee could cause a topped shot. The root of the problem lies with the path so this should be the first adjustment.

Hitting the ball right can come from any swing path into the ball but will shoot off to the right if shanked or caught from the toe. When the ball hits the toe of the club and shoots to the right side, this is not an example of a skyed shot.

Adjusting the posture at set up will not have a direct impact on the shots outcome or centeredness of strike. It is what is happening during the players swing which will have a direct impact on the shots outcome. A player should always maintain their height during the swing but with a skyed shot, special attention should be brought to the swing path.